Sensitive ignition device



H. KNIGHT.

SENSITIVE IGNIHONDEVICEJ APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 1918.

1,333,496. Patented Mar. 9, 1920.

H. KNIGHT.

SENSITIVE IGNITION DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I. 1918.

1 33,496. Patented Mar. 9, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- nNrriin STATES PATENT caries.

HERBERT KNIGHT, on NEW YORK, N; Y., ASSIGNOR T INTERNATIONAL ivrnNrrioNs 7 COMPANY INO., QF DELAWARE. p I V SENSITIVE IGNITION DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

retain-ea an. a, 1920.

'- Application filed June 1, 1918. ,Serial No; 237.781.

To all whom. it may-concern: r 7

Be it known that I, HERBERT KN 1on1, a

. citizen of the United States of America, and

residing in the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, county and State ofNew.

York, have invented a new and usefulSensitive Ignition Dev ce, of which the follow- 7 ing is a specification;

M improved i nition device, such as shown, described and claimed in this application for Letters Patent of the United States. refers to, and embraces, means for rendering such an implement extremely sensitive; the objectof providingthis great sensitiveness is to afford penetrable access for a firing pin which responds to a very slight blow: this improvement as I have developed it has been addressed more especially to employment in hand grenades, but it can also be used in bombs, shells and other f forms of projectiles when and where a very responsive initiating firing member is required; inefi'ect my invention is a cap or primer of a very sensitive nature.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification:

F igure lrep resents'a vertical section of my improved ignition device.

Fig. 2-is a top view of same.

Fig. 3is a cross section of the implement on the line TIL-III looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. & is a bottom view of same.

Fig. 5- is a vertical section showing the firing pin in the act of functioning.

Fig. 6 is a similar view to Fig. 5 with the operation farther advanced.

' Fig. 7 shows a hand grenade embodying my invention.

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the igniting device functioning.

Figs. 1 to 6 of these views, it will be understood show the instrument to a greatly enlarged scale; Figs. 7 and 8 show the device slightly enlarged.

In these drawings 10 is a cup piece, or

' cap,lhaving a centrally located opening 11 in its crown. The object of cutting away the crown at this point is to provide access for the tip 12 of the firing pin 13; by referring to Fig. 5 of the drawings, it will be seen that the firing pin has in the act and process of operation actually passed beyond the upper face of the cup, that 15 to say,

the crown, without coming in contact therewith. 7

Positioned inside of. the cupor cap 10 is the anvil plate ltcrowning upward toward the center at 15, and placed above this central crown 15 andspaced from it is the fulminate ignition device, or firing element 16.

This element 16 is secured to the under surface of a thin film-like member 17 formed preferably of tinfoil; this film 17 is sensitive, and, considering its position and attributes, a super-sensitive member of my organization; it will be seen that while it discharges the office of a covering for the upper surface of the fulminate, it alsoserves as a means for securing the ful-minate tothe structure; these are its minor oflicesp The principal object of the film is to provide easy penetration for the firing pin, so

that when a light blow is deliverechit will function the fulniinate; in some classes of munitions, and particularly in the device which I Wlll show herein as employing and practical value. 1 Y I When the device is in the ,act of operating, that is to say, when the firing pin 13 is moving toward the opening of the cap and is brought into position to deliver a blow upon the fulminate 16, through the supersensitive film 17, it drives this combined structure down and forces it to the anvil plate ll, as shown in Fig. 6; at which time the shoulders 18 of the firing pin may reach the edges of the central opening 11 of cap 10; when the point of the firing pin reaches'the anvil plate the fulminate functions, but as will be seen its path and travel has beenmade easy by the peculiar construction aforesaid.

I have shown in Fig. 7, one means and method of practically applying this invention and in this figure I illustrate it in conncction with a hand grenade. This grenade consists of a body or envelop 19 having cups or pockets 20, one on each side. The firing pins here are shown at 13 and are two in number. They are adapted to move toward each other and in the direction of the center of the grenade,their points 12 being positioned to function with the primer or supersensitive igniting device, as disclosed in reference to Figs. 16.

At 21 I show two gravity operating balls embodying it, such aproposition is of great.

held to a safety position by a spoon or stripper v22, the outer ends of the said stripper entering in slots 23 of the terminals 24 of said gravity balls, which latter terminals extend through suitable openings of the pocket covers 25 of the grenade envelop 19.

When the stripper 22 is pulled ofl' in the act of throwing the grenade, the gravity balls 21, being released, are adapted to function and this act will occur when the implement impacts. The balls 21 will thereupon tumble and will drive the firing pins i11- wardly as shown in Fig. 8 and will cause the small copper stirrups 26 to collapse; the

sensitive primers or' igniting devices will then be pierced and the implement will function and the fire from the primers will enter the port 27 and be directed against thedet onating element 28, which will respond thereto, and which will in turn function the battle charge 29.

The primers, or sensitive igniting devices,

. are inserted in suitable pockets 30 of a plug 31, which plug is secured in position by the pin 32 positioned in a suitable opening through the shoulder 33 and the outer end "of said plug and by means of this structure,

said plug can be given a quarter turn by the removal of the pin 32, turning the plug and reinserting it, in the meantime having thrown the sensitive primers to a safety position or an'armed position as may be de- The point and principle which I desire to bring out andemphasize in the foregoing is that I have disclosed and provided an initiating element in a firing device for munitions of extreme sensitiveness, which will respond to the often very slight blow given it. 7

My present invention is illustrated herein as employed in connection with grenades, but I do not limit its employment in this respect as it can be utilized, as herein before stated, in any form' of munition where a very responsive initiating firing member is required. 7

aving thus described my invention, the

following is what I claim as new and useful therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent: p

1. A primer for grenades comprising a cup having its bottom full thickness of the metal and provided with a central hole, a relatively thin retaining sheet in the bottom of the cup and covering the hole, an anvil, and detonating mixture between the anvil and the retaining sheet. l

2. A primer for grenades comprising a cup having sides and bottom of substantially uniform thickness, the bottom being pro vided with a hole, a sheet of foil in the bottom of the cup covering the hole, a detonating mixture,'and an anvil.

3. In a primer for grenades, the combina-' tion with a cup having a central hole in its bottom and a retaining sheet made of ma- 'terial thinner than said bottom, located in the bottom of the cup and covering the hole, of detonating mixture and an anvil.

HERBERT KNIGHT. 

